0:00:39 > 0:00:41I think it's fair to say that for the Antiques Roadshow,
0:00:41 > 0:00:43we generally visit historic buildings,
0:00:43 > 0:00:48with resplendent gardens and emerald lawns,
0:00:48 > 0:00:48so today's venue,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52with its miles of concrete runway and idling jets,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54makes a nice change.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Welcome back to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01JET ENGINE ROARS
0:01:05 > 0:01:09This air base is bristling with the latest jets flying every day,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13because Coningsby is a QRA - Quick Reaction Alert station -
0:01:13 > 0:01:17meaning they're part of the UK's first line of air defence,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19always ready to spring into action.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22JET ENGINE ROARS
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Coningsby has been central to the nation's defences
0:01:28 > 0:01:31since it became operational in 1940,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33at the height of World War II,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37and back then, Lincolnshire was known as Bomber County.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40There were more airfields here than anywhere else in the UK,
0:01:40 > 0:01:44and because it's so flat, it was the perfect place to launch
0:01:44 > 0:01:46and land Britain's Air Force.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Coningsby's modern concrete runway meant large bombers could
0:01:51 > 0:01:52operate from here.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59In 1943, these runways brought a very special squadron to Coningsby -
0:01:59 > 0:02:03arguably the most famous British squadron of them all -
0:02:03 > 0:02:06617, the Dambusters.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12They'd just flown their daring mission to knock out the German dams
0:02:12 > 0:02:16using the ingenious bouncing bombs created by Barnes Wallis.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21Sadly, 53 out of the 133 brave crewmen lost their lives,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23and many were injured in the operation.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29The squadron was temporarily relocated here
0:02:29 > 0:02:31while the survivors recuperated
0:02:31 > 0:02:34and the squadron was brought back to operating strength.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40PLANE ENGINES RUMBLE
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Today, it's mainly the RAF's state-of-the-art Typhoon jets
0:02:46 > 0:02:48that are regularly flying in and out of here.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52The pilots need to be ready for action at all times,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54much like our experts, who are waiting to see
0:02:54 > 0:02:58what our Lincolnshire visitors have brought today to RAF Coningsby.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02So, a carved piece of wood. Yeah.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Nothing very special about it. No.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07It's got the date on the back, so we know when it was made. Yeah.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10But what was it made for?
0:03:10 > 0:03:13That's what I brought it for, actually. I haven't got a clue.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Well, I wonder if these guys know what it's for. Any ideas?
0:03:17 > 0:03:19A ruler, perhaps? A ruler.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Oh, yeah. It could be used... Well, it's a straight edge,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24certainly could be used for a ruler. Ceremonial?
0:03:24 > 0:03:29Ceremonial - it's the sort of thing you hold to give you a bit of power.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30Speaking stick? A what?
0:03:30 > 0:03:31Speaking stick.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Speaking stick...
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Somebody said it'd be good for a letter opener, for big letters.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Yeah. Or maybe... A shoehorn.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41A shoehorn, I hear.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Yeah, that could work as a shoehorn. That would...
0:03:45 > 0:03:48For big feet. For big feet, yes.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51For long toes. Now, it's...
0:03:51 > 0:03:52It's chip-carved.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55You can see how it's carved like this,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58so the quality is not of huge merit,
0:03:58 > 0:03:59I have to say.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04It's obviously made by somebody, you know, in their spare time,
0:04:04 > 0:04:05just playing about, would you think?
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Yes. It's that sort of thing. It's what we call folk art.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10That's right. It's the sort of thing that,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12if you gave me a penknife and a bit of wood,
0:04:12 > 0:04:13I could hack away at this.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14It wouldn't be as good as that
0:04:14 > 0:04:17but it's something that I could produce something with, anyway.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19So, a bit of folk art,
0:04:19 > 0:04:24and what's the thing that's closest to a woman's heart?
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Money? Any ideas?
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Money, usually. Money?
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Money is the closest thing. I would think so. Well...
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Maybe, just think something that's physically closer -
0:04:34 > 0:04:36her underwear. OK?
0:04:36 > 0:04:42Oh, right. So, this is what is called a stay busk.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46In the 18th century, your stays was your corset, OK? Yes.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48So this would have fitted down...
0:04:48 > 0:04:50I'm not wearing a corset today.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53It would have fitted down in a pocket in the front
0:04:53 > 0:04:55of your corset, OK?
0:04:55 > 0:04:57It went down like that,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00which meant that you had to stand up very straight.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03It meant that you had to keep your stomach in... Yes.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06..and meant that it lifted your breasts,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08which was very important. Oh...
0:05:08 > 0:05:12So, it was given to you by your lover.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Oh, really? So if you wanted to give your lover something that was
0:05:18 > 0:05:23closest to her heart, you would have carved this piece of wood in 1775,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27and A-S is probably the initials of his wife or his girlfriend or
0:05:27 > 0:05:30whatever it is, and then she would have worn it,
0:05:30 > 0:05:31and every time she put it in,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34she would have remembered her husband or lover. Ah...
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Is that...is that...? Cos of the...
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Are they hearts, are they? They're hearts.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Ah, yeah. It's a love token.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Yeah, ah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Isn't that nice?
0:05:42 > 0:05:44It's brilliant. Do you like it more now?
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Yeah, yeah, I mean...
0:05:46 > 0:05:49I mean, I've heard many things what it's been,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53but that's presumably the best one yet, I think,
0:05:53 > 0:05:54and obviously, you're right.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58And also, what is also nice,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and I personally like about it, it's actually...it's been used,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03cos obviously this has been touched a lot.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Yeah, yeah.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08I love it. No, I think it's a great piece.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Value, it's dated 1775,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14English, chip-carved, a love token,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16lots of story behind it -
0:06:16 > 0:06:19at auction, ?800-?1,200.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Oh, my goodness.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Well done.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28I thought...?10 the most.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30I can't believe it. So, erm...
0:06:30 > 0:06:32I think it's something to give to your wife.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36I will do.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39CHEERING
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Thanks very much. Thank you.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44Well, as a jewellery specialist,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I wouldn't normally be looking at a barometer,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49but I can see something sparkling
0:06:49 > 0:06:51in the sunlight that you're holding there,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54so how are the two related? Yes. Not to worry.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57The story also includes a diamond brooch,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00which I found inside the barometer.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Gosh. How did you find it?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06I bought the barometer in an antique market in Nice,
0:07:06 > 0:07:07on the French Riviera,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and when I got it back to my hotel room,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12I realised it wouldn't fit inside the suitcase,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14so I took it to pieces, and inside the back,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16behind the plate, was hidden,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18wrapped up in a silver purse,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20the diamond brooch.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Oh, what a romantic story. One would hope so.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25And when you got it out, did you think that it was diamonds,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28or did you think it was paste?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Well, I wouldn't know the difference.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32I wouldn't have any idea at all,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34but I did hold it in the sun,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37and the way it caught the light, even I thought it must be valuable.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Ah, well, you've obviously got an eye,
0:07:40 > 0:07:45and it is, it's a beautiful Art Nouveau, diamond and gold brooch.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47It's got some French marks on the back,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50so that fits in nicely with your story as well,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52and very delicate detailing,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56with the floral work around the gold that we see here,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59so, absolutely gorgeous, and if we look at the back,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03it's got this really sweet little pin, which opens up.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06It's quite stiff, like that. All right, I didn't know that.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09And then you would clip it to the edge of your lapel or your dress.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Right. Absolutely gorgeous piece of jewellery.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14I absolutely love it.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Now, I'm wondering how much you paid for the barometer?
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Erm, well, it started at 100 euros... Mmm.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24..and after negotiation, it came down to 50 euros. Oh.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26The guy that sold me it,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29obviously, didn't have any idea what was in the back of it.
0:08:29 > 0:08:30No, exactly.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Well, he might be kicking himself now... Oh, I think so.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36..because the brooch, at auction, would fetch between ?800 and ?1,200.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Wow, that's incredible.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39Thank you very much.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Firstly, I want to say, I think,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46a big thank you for bringing this in.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49So, how did you get it in to us?
0:08:49 > 0:08:51We sent a photograph to your website,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55and wondered if you were interested in seeing it,
0:08:55 > 0:08:56and thankfully you were.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58And we came and collected it and here it is. You did.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00It's wonderful for me, cos I arrived here,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03and this presumably arrived last night or this morning. Yes.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06And you've emptied it, I assume? Oh, yes. What was in it?
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Oh, lots of things. Lots. Oh, glass.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10Glass, silver. Silverware, everything.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13What a thought. Yeah. Anyway, thank you for doing that.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Now, we know who this is by, don't we? Maple.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Maple's. There's a label there saying Maple.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22So over here we have the good old Maples label there. Maple.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Yeah, that's much as we know about it, I'm afraid.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Maple's is a really important firm.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32I mean, you can see on that label, it says, Buenos Aires,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and Paris and London, so they were an international firm,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38roughly 1850 to about 1950,
0:09:38 > 0:09:40and they were literally one of the biggest
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and most successful furnishing firms in the world.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I mean, London was the centre at the time,
0:09:46 > 0:09:47vying with Paris, perhaps.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49A really important firm,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52but it just looks so good in the light here.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Do you know what the wood is?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56We think satinwood but we're not 100%.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58That's a pretty good guess. LAUGHTER
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Absolutely, and it's just the most wonderful golden colour
0:10:01 > 0:10:03in this natural daylight. Yeah. Isn't it?
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Glorious. It's so beautifully made.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07But what is interesting about Maple's,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10and we think of those antique furnishers, it's always handmade.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14Well, yes, the drawers are handmade, but Maple's weren't shy.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16They were a commercial firm and they made things.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19They had steam machinery and electric machinery,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21so these things were made, you know, partly by machine,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23and we shouldn't be shy of that. No.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25We always feel, "Oh, it's handmade, so it's better."
0:10:25 > 0:10:29This is beautifully made, and really expensive, exotic timber.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Satinwood comes from South America, the Caribbean Basin
0:10:32 > 0:10:35and from the East Indies, and I think this is the East Indies.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37And just little details like this.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39It's silver-plated. Isn't that lovely?
0:10:39 > 0:10:41You know, we're so used to the brass handle -
0:10:41 > 0:10:43a little lovely silver-plated handle,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and in there, I first thought it was painted,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48but it's inlaid, isn't it? It is, yeah.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50You can just feel a slight bump there, so it's inlaid.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52So, a lot of extra work, a lot of expense.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Erm, I mean, to me, Maple's, they made...
0:10:56 > 0:10:59He was knighted, I think, for his furniture-making and design.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00He was a great businessman.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04The father started the business in the 1840s or '50s,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08and the son, Sir John, took it over and became a great businessman.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Oh. So, they made the best furniture.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Now, tell me, is this something that's come from the family?
0:11:13 > 0:11:17My father bought it in 1946 from a house sale,
0:11:17 > 0:11:18but that's all we know.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21We don't know how much it cost, or anything else about it.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23I mean, something like this is...
0:11:23 > 0:11:26I mean, furniture is not easy at the moment. No.
0:11:26 > 0:11:27Erm...
0:11:27 > 0:11:29And this is quite late. We haven't talked about the date.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Have you any idea what date it is?
0:11:31 > 0:11:32No. No, no. None whatsoever.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34You can't help me out at all?
0:11:34 > 0:11:36No, I'm sorry. I'm afraid not.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38It's... I'm afraid we can't. I think it's the...
0:11:38 > 0:11:41It's the 20th century, and it's very difficult to tell
0:11:41 > 0:11:43whether it's just before or just after the Great War,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46but something about the shape of those handles suggests
0:11:46 > 0:11:47it's got that slightly Art Deco feel,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51as though it's literally on the cusp, 1910-1920.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54But this sort of furniture's not as popular as it used to be,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57but the size of this alone will help the value.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59So, what do we think?
0:11:59 > 0:12:01No, I've no idea. No idea. If you...
0:12:01 > 0:12:03No idea. Not at all.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Of all things... of furniture that is not wanted,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08this is something that is wanted.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11I think, if you went to replace that in a decent sort of antiques shop,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14if you could ever find it...
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Yeah.
0:12:16 > 0:12:1840,000 or ?50,000.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19Really?
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Good grief. Oh, my word.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25The insurance is going to have to be altered a bit.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27We had no idea. Oh, we'd no idea.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Do you know? I'm really quite intrigued by these wager cups.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Mm-hm?
0:12:34 > 0:12:37They are both made in the same year,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41but they're made in completely different locations.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42Hmm.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45So, how did that come about?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Well, that's inherited... All right.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53..and so it's been in the family, probably, 60, 70 years,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56as far as I know, cos I've had it over 50 years. Right.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Fine. And that one, I think my husband bought in the '70s.
0:13:00 > 0:13:01Right.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04But do you know how to use them?
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Well, I think I do. Yes.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Right. You fill...
0:13:10 > 0:13:11..with drink. Yes.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14And that one with drink. And that one with drink, yes.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15And then you drink from there,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18keeping this level, cos that's the wager,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20but it's still full of drink,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22and then you drink from there. Right, actually...
0:13:22 > 0:13:24That's how my husband used to tell it, so...
0:13:24 > 0:13:27That's how he did it. Now, I do it a different way.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Mm-hm. OK, because, in fact, there are two things going on.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32One is, you can use them as marriage cups,
0:13:32 > 0:13:32One is, you can use them as marriage cups,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34and the other as wager cups.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Oh. Now, as a marriage cup...
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Yes. ..you flip them over,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44and you have, the husband gets the skirt...
0:13:44 > 0:13:46That's unfair.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48..and the wife gets the...
0:13:48 > 0:13:50gets the tumbler section,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52and they drink together. Right, together.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54OK? Oh, right.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56So that's how that works,
0:13:56 > 0:14:01but when it gets messy is when you actually use it as a wager cup.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Yes. You've got to remember, the originals of these were
0:14:04 > 0:14:06made in the 16th century,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08and there wasn't any television.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11This was entertainment during a feast. Yes.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14So what you have to do as a wager
0:14:14 > 0:14:17was fill that right up to the brim... Mm-hm.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21OK, and fill that right up to the brim,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24and then you had to, one arm behind your back,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27drink the entire contents here,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30without anything spilling out of there. Spilling.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Oh. Now, I've tried this...
0:14:34 > 0:14:38and I wish I had stripped off before I did it,
0:14:38 > 0:14:42because you concentrate so much on what you're doing there,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44you forget about what's going on,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and you tend to naturally do that... Yes.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51..and you suddenly get this cold, wet feeling. Feeling.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53So...
0:14:53 > 0:14:57I think it's marvellous, the way you've managed to match those up.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01So, the reason I'm intrigued here with these wager cups
0:15:01 > 0:15:05is that when we look at the marks on this one...
0:15:05 > 0:15:10Mm-hm. ..they're actually for St Petersburg in 1862.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Mm-hm. Which, in itself, absolutely fine.
0:15:14 > 0:15:20But then, the one you very cleverly found to match... Yes.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24when we look there, that's made in London
0:15:24 > 0:15:27in exactly the same year. The same year.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31Oh... So, I think what's... So, who's copied who?
0:15:31 > 0:15:33I don't think anybody's copied anybody.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34Ah...
0:15:34 > 0:15:38I think what's happened is that this particular type of cup is
0:15:38 > 0:15:44absolutely typical of Hanau in Germany,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48and I think both cups were made in Germany.
0:15:48 > 0:15:55One was sold to a St Petersburg goldsmithing family or firm... Yes.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58..and the other was sold to a London firm. London firm.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01And you have very cleverly brought them together. Wow.
0:16:01 > 0:16:02Oh.
0:16:02 > 0:16:08They are actually of really fine quality, so together,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10if those came up together, I...
0:16:10 > 0:16:14I could see them approaching ?10,000 without a lot of problems.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Oh.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18That gives you indigestion.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21LAUGHTER
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Do you need a drink? LAUGHTER
0:16:29 > 0:16:34We have a very nice set of beautiful Coalport China here.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36These were my nan's Now, I never knew my nan.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39She died before I was born. Mm-hm.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41But I always remember when we visited Grandad's house,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44that if I went into Grandad's bedroom,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47there on the dressing table, in the middle of the room...
0:16:47 > 0:16:48All laid out. ..taking pride of place.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52It was still all laid out as it was, as if Nan was still alive.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Do you think that a ventriloquist's dummy is a little bit creepy?
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Yes. OK.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01I'm very sorry, Rusty. LAUGHTER
0:17:03 > 0:17:06The more you look at it, the weirder it gets.
0:17:06 > 0:17:07Where did you get it from?
0:17:07 > 0:17:11It came from Nampula, which is northern Mozambique,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13and it's what's known as shetani,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16which is Swahili, meaning Satan.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17That makes sense!
0:17:17 > 0:17:18PLANE ENGINES RUMBLE
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Well, this is quite a thing.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30So, this is a bit of Russian tree?
0:17:30 > 0:17:31Yes, it is.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34And what's the story with it?
0:17:34 > 0:17:38So, I'm from the Petwood Hotel, which is based nearby.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41During the Second World War it was requisitioned by the RAF,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45and it was the officers' mess for 97, 619 and 617 squadrons.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47And 617 was the Dambusters squad? Correct.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51And this bit of tree dates back to one of their raids,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54when they were sinking the German battleship, the Tirpitz.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58The Tirpitz was based up in a Norwegian fjord,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00and it was a long old raid to do -
0:18:00 > 0:18:01it was about nine hours' flying time.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04So, the Lancaster crews needed to refuel,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08and pilot Nicky Knilans and his crew landed in northern Russia
0:18:08 > 0:18:12to refuel before going on to compete their raid.
0:18:12 > 0:18:13Unfortunately,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17they couldn't quite get enough height sufficiently quickly
0:18:17 > 0:18:19when they had to go on to a flight raid,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22still laden with a 12,000-pound Tallboy bomb,
0:18:22 > 0:18:24and they brushed the tops of the trees.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27This bit of tree ended up through the nose of the Lancaster,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30into the cockpit... Ooh! ..next to pilot Nick Knilans.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Oh, that makes me feel all funny.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34What, all this?! All of it.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36All of it - so there was no getting rid of it,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39it had to go to Norway with them. So...
0:18:39 > 0:18:42So, it must have gone through the cockpit and up through...
0:18:42 > 0:18:43or be dangling below.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Absolutely, so it's...we're imagining this
0:18:46 > 0:18:49partially in the cockpit and partially outside the plane.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52So, they continue their raid, drop the bomb in Norway,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54come back to RAF Woodhall,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57and the crew thought, "Oh, well, this is just too good to forget,"
0:18:57 > 0:18:59so they brought it back to the officers' mess
0:18:59 > 0:19:00and mounted it above the bar.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03So, imagine, from a Russian forest, up through the cockpit,
0:19:03 > 0:19:08above your bar - well, this tree's seen life, hasn't it?
0:19:09 > 0:19:13We've been surrounded today by historic aircraft from World War II,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15and you've brought along, in cartoon form,
0:19:15 > 0:19:16some of the characters
0:19:16 > 0:19:18who would have flown in them.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19Is this your collection, or
0:19:19 > 0:19:21something that's come down to you?
0:19:21 > 0:19:23It used to be me great-grandmother -
0:19:23 > 0:19:26she used to go to Teignmouth on holidays after the war,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28and she used to bring one of the characters back
0:19:28 > 0:19:32as a souvenir every year, so it's what she's collected over the years.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34It's appropriate that she got them on holiday in Devon,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36but, of course, they were made down there -
0:19:36 > 0:19:38these are from Bovey Tracey pottery,
0:19:38 > 0:19:43and a series affectionately known as Our Gang. Our Gang.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47And they started modelling these in 1940, during the war,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and they were sort of cartoon versions of the officers
0:19:50 > 0:19:54and figures that people were getting to know around the streets.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57You've got here the flying figures -
0:19:57 > 0:20:01you've got this airman here, with his parachute,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03the Woman's Air Force, the WAAF,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06and he's always a popular one -
0:20:06 > 0:20:09that's the... he's the air-raid warden.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11They made figures of the national heroes -
0:20:11 > 0:20:13they made a figure of Churchill,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15it was perhaps the best known of the series,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19and I think there were 19 figures in all. 19.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Gwyneth Holt was the modeller, to begin with, of the series,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25and they issued a new figure every few months,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27and it encouraged people to collect them
0:20:27 > 0:20:29and to give patriotic support,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31because parts of the proceeds from those
0:20:31 > 0:20:35went to support the war effort, and that's what they're about.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38So, you've got six out of the series,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42and, I mean, they're inevitably popular things with collectors.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Probably the rarest ones are the politicians - Roosevelt,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49if you managed to find him,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52he normally sells for a couple of hundred pounds alone,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56but these chaps are... and the lady there,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00are going to be sort of between 50 and ?100 each.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01That's excellent.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Now, does it belong to you or does it belong to you?
0:21:04 > 0:21:05What's the story behind it?
0:21:05 > 0:21:06It belongs to me.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09I was given it by my granny for my 18th birthday,
0:21:09 > 0:21:10which was in December,
0:21:10 > 0:21:17and it's a family heirloom, so it was my great-great-great-aunt's,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and it was given to my granny in...
0:21:20 > 0:21:24the 1950s? '50s, I think. '40s or '50s.
0:21:24 > 0:21:281950s. Did she wear it? Yeah, she's worn it a few times, I think.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31A couple of times. Yeah. Not very much.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33So, you were given this necklace not that long ago -
0:21:33 > 0:21:36what did you think when you were given it?
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I actually started crying! She cried.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Did you? Why? 40 minutes on and off.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Cos you thought it was...?
0:21:44 > 0:21:45I was just so shocked.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49I didn't expect to get something that special.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Cos you recognise it as being something a bit special.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Yeah, definitely. All right, and have you worn it?
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Cos it's very wearable, isn't it?
0:21:56 > 0:21:59It... I've got a leavers' ball for my school... Yes.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00..in July, and I'm going to wear it then.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Good. Good, you should. Yeah. I was told...
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Are you going to have a dress for the occasion as well?
0:22:05 > 0:22:08I am. My mum's making it for me. Really? What colour? No pressure(!)
0:22:08 > 0:22:10It's dove grey.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Dove grey, so the colour of the dress is going to blend in
0:22:13 > 0:22:16with the colour of the stones in the necklace.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19I ought to say first of all, it's a necklace - well, you know that.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21It's a necklace.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Before I come on to the stones themselves,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25let's look at the main thing about this -
0:22:25 > 0:22:29which is the name Liberty. Mm.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Liberty are so important in the world of jewellery -
0:22:33 > 0:22:37particularly jewellery which was made when this was made,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40which was round about the turn of the century,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43so this was actually made in about 1905.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46These blue stones, they look like turquoise -
0:22:46 > 0:22:49and they look like stones, but they're not.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51They're actually little blobs of blue glass
0:22:51 > 0:22:52that have been set on gold,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56and suspended on the bottom you have little blister pearls -
0:22:56 > 0:23:00blister pearls means misshapen white pearls, natural pearls.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03And then these graduated stones in the middle,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06and you may or may not know this, are called moonstones.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11And you have to understand that nowadays jewellery like this
0:23:11 > 0:23:12is actually quite highly sought.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15So the fact that it's been a family piece
0:23:15 > 0:23:17that's come through to you now,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20I think your legacy is a really rather wonderful thing,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23because it does have quite a good value.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30When you wear it for your ball, with your dove grey dress,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33you need to consider the fact that round your neck you're wearing
0:23:33 > 0:23:36?3,000 of necklace.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Oh, my God! OK.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Right...
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Better be careful, then.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44You must be careful of it. Yes. OK.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48If you really want to know what everybody loves, Liberty,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52a beautiful fringed necklace in absolutely impeccable condition,
0:23:52 > 0:23:54in its original case,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56with the name Liberty in the lid,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00you've been left something quite dynamic.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01OK.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Enjoy it, won't you? Yeah, we will!
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Thank you. Thank you very much. Pleasure.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Glad to have helped. Thank you.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Well, this looks like a welcome gust of Asian exoticism
0:24:17 > 0:24:19on this blustery Lincolnshire day, doesn't it?
0:24:19 > 0:24:22It's a mahout riding his elephant. Yes.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25My family lived in Eindhoven in the south of Holland,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28and I think it's been there all along.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30It's certainly got a Dutch-Flemish carved feel about it,
0:24:30 > 0:24:31hasn't it? Yes.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34I mean, to me, it's one of the most moving and beautiful objects
0:24:34 > 0:24:36I've ever seen on the Antiques Roadshow. Thank you.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Who likes to think that they own it?
0:24:39 > 0:24:42I actually own it on behalf of my wife.
0:24:42 > 0:24:43LAUGHTER
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Was it a present from her?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48It was an 80th birthday present ten years ago,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51and she bought it on the internet.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Well, it's a thing called majolica,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55and majolica is just a highly-glazed earthenware.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59Also, I suppose, because this dates from the late 19th century,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01and you think Queen Victoria, Empress of India,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05this was all the rage... Mm-hm. ..this lovely exotic type of stuff.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Of course we know what it is, don't we? It's a nativity.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Nativity - isn't it wonderful?
0:25:11 > 0:25:14The three kings, Mary and the baby Jesus.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16What did you pay, or would you rather not say,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19on the internet? Oh, I don't mind saying, no, 1,200.
0:25:19 > 0:25:211,200... Yes. ..ten years ago. Yes.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Well, we'll see about that later.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Its slightly muted colours tell me
0:25:25 > 0:25:30that it's German or Austrian, and I think, really, it's worth...
0:25:30 > 0:25:36?800-1,200. Yeah? Yeah, that's good.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38I think it's a glorious thing.
0:25:38 > 0:25:4015th, early 16th century.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43?1,500-2,000. Oh, wow!
0:25:43 > 0:25:44That's a lot more than I thought.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48OK, so, how do you reckon your ?1,200 has done?
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Well, I'm not sure. I'd like to think that it's doubled.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55You're absolutely right. It has just about doubled.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59Oh! So, at least ?2,500 for it.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Oh, wow, that's wonderful!
0:26:01 > 0:26:04So, if I might say so, a very generous birthday present.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06He deserved it.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I've got a generous wife!
0:26:11 > 0:26:12Oh, dear.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15I'm going to start with a warning -
0:26:15 > 0:26:18I don't want to get you too excited.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22There are huge amounts of copies out there of these chests.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27Basically, what they would do is they would get horse-drawn carts
0:26:27 > 0:26:31which were 19th, 18th century, smash them up for the wood
0:26:31 > 0:26:34and rebuild them into chests like this.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36So, have you done any research as to what it is?
0:26:36 > 0:26:40I know very little about this piece of furniture.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45I've had people come into my house and had things mentioned to me -
0:26:45 > 0:26:49possibly Spanish, possibly German, possibly Portugal...
0:26:49 > 0:26:53Churches have been mentioned, but we know very little.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55None of those.
0:26:55 > 0:26:56Not even close!
0:26:56 > 0:26:58THEY LAUGH
0:26:58 > 0:26:59Er, and it's weird.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02It's one of those things that I've been sort of looking at it
0:27:02 > 0:27:04and changing my mind as I've been going along,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08because they made these from, you know, 18th century,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11as we know them, right up until now, like I said. Yes.
0:27:11 > 0:27:17And there are a few clues on this - I mean, firstly, what's it for?
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Have you had any ideas? Because it's useless, as much as anything.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22We don't know what it's for, I mean,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25we find it useful just to put our odds and sods in it,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28basically speaking, because it's so big inside.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29Where did you get it from?
0:27:29 > 0:27:33I've owned it for probably seven years,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35approximately seven years,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39and I originally got it from a pine dealer
0:27:39 > 0:27:42that got this from a house clearance. OK.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47So... And, again, know nothing about its history or anything.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Slightly worrying on the old pine dealer front,
0:27:50 > 0:27:54but if we go through what it's for, it's got a pretty useless door here
0:27:54 > 0:27:58and when you said odds and sods, that's exactly what it's for.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Right, OK. Bits and pieces, storage -
0:28:00 > 0:28:05it can be anything from textiles to foods, and it's got the old...
0:28:05 > 0:28:06That slides back...
0:28:09 > 0:28:11..and you can see inside, all this -
0:28:11 > 0:28:14and what I like is this locking mechanism.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Then this has secret drawers here -
0:28:17 > 0:28:19do you want to show me how those work?
0:28:19 > 0:28:20Absolutely. Um...
0:28:24 > 0:28:25Slide that across...
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Slide this across,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31and this moves across as well,
0:28:31 > 0:28:35and it's got a further component in this end, which is very unusual.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Yeah, and did you know all that when you bought it?
0:28:37 > 0:28:40No, we knew about the chest, and we saw the bottom bits,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43but this sliding piece, no.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44And when you say the bottom bit,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46you mean the drawer down on the front there?
0:28:46 > 0:28:48There's one at the front as well, yes.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50And how does that one open?
0:28:50 > 0:28:54There's a pin inside here which we lift out...
0:28:59 > 0:29:00If I can get it...
0:29:01 > 0:29:03..and there we have it.
0:29:03 > 0:29:08You can get into... It's got like a separate bottom to it. Mm.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Secret bottom to it. All good signs.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16This is Indian, and teak - a teak wood, a form of hardwood. Is it?
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Er, it's really hard, and without a bit more, like I say,
0:29:19 > 0:29:22right up until the last minute, I'm thinking, "Is it quite good enough?"
0:29:22 > 0:29:25But I think it's 19th century and perfectly all right.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28The reason being is, because it is so useless,
0:29:28 > 0:29:30with that silly door on the top.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32It's a tricky thing to value,
0:29:32 > 0:29:37and, again, I've been changing my mind, because some sales,
0:29:37 > 0:29:41they can do really well, other sales they can almost be given away.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45My gut feeling is it would go into an auction
0:29:45 > 0:29:47at sort of 700-900, and...
0:29:47 > 0:29:49That's cool. Yes, that's cool.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51That's good. Possibly make a thousand.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Yes, lovely. But it's absolutely right - the colour is great,
0:29:54 > 0:29:57and it's just a really lovely piece of furniture,
0:29:57 > 0:29:58and a good buy from you.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Now, we're right here in the thick of things
0:30:06 > 0:30:11with the Dakota engines going in the background,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14and you've brought along a pair of old boots,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17and it isn't often I get to value a pair of old boots on the Roadshow.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19No. Why have you brought them with you?
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Well, they were the boots that my husband was wearing
0:30:22 > 0:30:25when he had to bail out of the Vulcan aeroplane
0:30:25 > 0:30:28because it caught fire. What was he doing?
0:30:28 > 0:30:33He was the navigator plotter, and they'd finished their exercise
0:30:33 > 0:30:37and were returning to base when it caught fire over the North Sea -
0:30:37 > 0:30:42but they were able to get onto good old Lincolnshire soil,
0:30:42 > 0:30:45and they were the first thing of his body to touch the ground
0:30:45 > 0:30:48in Lincolnshire. That's fantastic. Those boots, yes.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51Still got a bit of soil underneath, I expect. Probably, yes!
0:30:51 > 0:30:53And what's this next to you?
0:30:53 > 0:30:55This was the handle of the parachute
0:30:55 > 0:30:59that he had to pull for his escape,
0:30:59 > 0:31:03and afterwards the men in the workshop at RAF Waddington
0:31:03 > 0:31:07put it onto this little plinth as a memento of that day,
0:31:07 > 0:31:11the 17th of January, 1977.
0:31:11 > 0:31:17Well, the Vulcan bombers were really part of our front-line force...
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Mm-hm. ..during the Cold War... Correct.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23..to protect us from the perceived Soviet enemy... Yes, yes.
0:31:23 > 0:31:28..if you like. Yes, and he started his career here in RAF Coningsby.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30Did he? Mm.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33And what about this very crude picture here? Yes.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Tell me about that. I love this picture.
0:31:36 > 0:31:43When he landed, near Spilsby, he was rescued by a farmer,
0:31:43 > 0:31:46and the farmer took him to his farmhouse.
0:31:46 > 0:31:52Because he'd hurt his neck, they lay him in front of the Aga cooker
0:31:52 > 0:31:55in the warm, because it was January.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58When his little son came in from school,
0:31:58 > 0:32:02here's this man lying on the floor in front of the Aga,
0:32:02 > 0:32:04and he drew this picture, a little boy, Richard -
0:32:04 > 0:32:08it must have been a marvellous day for him -
0:32:08 > 0:32:11and he sent it to the mess at RAF Waddington
0:32:11 > 0:32:14with the get-well message on.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16Good grief! Which I've treasured all these years.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20I've spoken to him since and... I made contact with him,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23and took him a picture of the Vulcan as a reminder. Do you know what?
0:32:23 > 0:32:27I find this very moving, actually. I really do.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Well, it's a lovely story.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33It's more marvellous that all five of them got out of the plane.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37Yes. They didn't always. Absolutely. Did he ever fly again?
0:32:37 > 0:32:43No. Why not? He was invalided out after that. Right.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Well, you know, this is the time
0:32:45 > 0:32:48when I come to say what these things are worth... Yes.
0:32:48 > 0:32:49..and I've got to say,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52you've presented me with a bit of a problem here,
0:32:52 > 0:32:57because what are a pair of old boots worth? Yes!
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Not very much, to be honest with you. Not very much!
0:33:00 > 0:33:04The handle from a parachute, not very much. Yeah, yeah.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06A child's drawing, not very much. Mm.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10So, from a commercial point of view, the value is negligible.
0:33:10 > 0:33:11Probably not even ?20. No.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15But from your point of view, they are priceless. Yes.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30Now, this is a portrait of a rather elegant young gentleman.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Do we know who this man is?
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Well, the painting belongs to my wife... Yes.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39..it was given to her by her mother-in-law,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43who was Vivienne White, and she was a McEwen,
0:33:43 > 0:33:47and so it's highly possible that that's an 18th century McEwen.
0:33:47 > 0:33:48OK.
0:33:48 > 0:33:49Because I'm very interested -
0:33:49 > 0:33:53because down the bottom here it's signed G Roth, which is George Roth,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56and dated 1777.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59Now, George Roth is not a very famous artist,
0:33:59 > 0:34:03but he is listed as a late 18th century artist
0:34:03 > 0:34:05who actually lived in London,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08but he also painted some portraits up in Norfolk,
0:34:08 > 0:34:10so came up to this area.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12So, that's what drew my interest to this.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14But the other thing I'm going to say about it -
0:34:14 > 0:34:17he's a very good looking man - but what's happened to this?
0:34:17 > 0:34:20Because it looks as though it's had a lot of overpainting on it.
0:34:20 > 0:34:27Well, that's right, because Vivienne gave the painting
0:34:27 > 0:34:29to my wife Sally in a box... Oh, yes?
0:34:29 > 0:34:33..and it had been cut to ribbons... Oh, dear.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35..and my wife's an artist,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38and obviously Vivienne expected that she could do something
0:34:38 > 0:34:40with the painting.
0:34:40 > 0:34:45So, Sally had it professionally repaired and restored. Mm.
0:34:45 > 0:34:46It has been quite well restored,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49but I can see the damage, because I can see the overpaint,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52but I find the picture quite charming, because it...
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Although Roth wasn't particularly well known,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57so he wasn't as good as Reynolds,
0:34:57 > 0:35:01but he had a style, slightly naive style, and you look at this,
0:35:01 > 0:35:05and the dog here, you can see where there's been restoration on the dog,
0:35:05 > 0:35:06because the teeth there,
0:35:06 > 0:35:08he looks as though he's going to bite him any minute!
0:35:08 > 0:35:10Look at those white teeth!
0:35:10 > 0:35:11He's either had whitener on his teeth,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14or I think these have been highlighted or repainted. True.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18But also, looking at the face here, if you look closely at the face,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21you can see that the eyes... there's been so much overpaint.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26And it's such a shame. Yes. Because I will give you two values on this.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29One is if it had been in good condition,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32and one... that it's in this condition.
0:35:32 > 0:35:33So, which one am I going to give you first?
0:35:33 > 0:35:36I'm going to give you the one in this condition,
0:35:36 > 0:35:40which is about ?600-?900.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43OK. Had it been in good condition...
0:35:44 > 0:35:47..I would have been saying ?2,000-?3,000.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51So, it's a shame that it was cut to ribbons!
0:35:51 > 0:35:53HE LAUGHS
0:35:53 > 0:35:57But at least you've kept an ancestor alive.
0:35:57 > 0:35:58Thank you!
0:36:00 > 0:36:02It's a bit of a wreck.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06Has it been through the wars? I have no idea.
0:36:06 > 0:36:07And how did it get to you?
0:36:07 > 0:36:11Er, my grandfather used to do house clearances, that sort of thing.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15Uh-huh. So, I should say he would have acquired it from there. Yeah.
0:36:15 > 0:36:20I was told once upon a time it was owned by a famous writer, author...
0:36:20 > 0:36:23OK. ..but I don't know who, or... Here in Lincolnshire?
0:36:23 > 0:36:25I've no idea.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Can't tell you much about it. Great(!) Great.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30All right, let's start here, then.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34You've seen this. Yep. You've seen this little name down here.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36What did you make of that?
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Naderman, or something like that, of Paris.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43Absolutely right - it says "Naderman a Paris,"
0:36:43 > 0:36:47and, in fact, the Naderman family are very well known
0:36:47 > 0:36:50both for making harps and for playing harps. Right.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54And this is Daddy Naderman, this is Jean-Henri Naderman,
0:36:54 > 0:37:01born in the 1730s, and manufacturers of harps.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05Now harps were THE aristocratic instrument of choice.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09Every aristocratic home had a harp in it.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13It was a piece of furniture as much as it was something to be played.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16Mm. Now, the soundboard is wonderful. Look at this.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19This is, I would say, definitely pre-Revolutionary.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23You've got these festoons, trophies of hunting,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26and then down here, musical instruments,
0:37:26 > 0:37:31and all of that, to me, reminds me of France before the Revolution...
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Right. ..when he was making harps, but what...
0:37:34 > 0:37:39and in fact, we know that he made harps for Marie Antoinette.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42So, a serious maker, very serious maker.
0:37:42 > 0:37:48But, boy, it looks as though when the Revolution hit France in 1789,
0:37:48 > 0:37:52maybe this harp was spirited off to Lincolnshire.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55I don't know! Possibly. We don't know what happened.
0:37:55 > 0:38:00A lot needs doing to this. It's basically a wreck. Right.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04A wreck from the Revolution. HE CHUCKLES
0:38:04 > 0:38:06I can just see Robespierre's troops going through the salon,
0:38:06 > 0:38:08saying, "Get rid of ze 'arp.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10"Send it to Lincoln."
0:38:10 > 0:38:12Um, I don't know.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Still, there is enough of it left to give us some idea
0:38:15 > 0:38:18of that wonderful period before the Revolution
0:38:18 > 0:38:21when they were all powdering their wigs.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25I reckon if you were to spend money
0:38:25 > 0:38:28on putting this thing into working order,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31and heaven knows how much that would cost,
0:38:31 > 0:38:33I'd be very surprised, if it was in working order,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37if you couldn't get somewhere between ?5,000 and ?10,000 for it.
0:38:37 > 0:38:38Right.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Lovely!
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Is that good? It is very good, yeah.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Yeah, very, very good.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18So, what tempted you to bring in this Rolex to me today?
0:39:18 > 0:39:21Well, I saw the programme a few months ago, of the Rolex watch,
0:39:21 > 0:39:25and I thought, "Well, that's similar to my husband's watch,"
0:39:25 > 0:39:28so I said to him, "Shall I bring it to the next Antiques Roadshow
0:39:28 > 0:39:29"when it's in Coningsby?"
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Which is what I've done today.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35And when did you have this last international service...?
0:39:35 > 0:39:36It was about 11 years ago.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38Rolex serviced it. OK, good.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41And they supplied this bit of paperwork,
0:39:41 > 0:39:43which is very helpful to me.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45Right. Let us say, first of all,
0:39:45 > 0:39:48that the model is The Submariner
0:39:48 > 0:39:51without the date. Right.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54And really, by far the most exceptional thing
0:39:54 > 0:40:00is that little, very, very small T, white T, in a white circle.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Right.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05This is what they refer to as the tritium mark,
0:40:05 > 0:40:10and it implies that it was a Rolex issue to the Navy,
0:40:10 > 0:40:13but a good number were also issued to the British Army,
0:40:13 > 0:40:15and, with a proper catalogue,
0:40:15 > 0:40:20I could tell you exactly for which unit it was made for.
0:40:20 > 0:40:26Right. And this is absolutely lovely. Really lovely.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30Just going to very quickly check one or two things.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33At the 12 o'clock position we've got the reference number,
0:40:33 > 0:40:37and I can see that is the 5517.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41Down on the bottom here, it will have its serial number,
0:40:41 > 0:40:45which is five million, two hundred-something, and in fact,
0:40:45 > 0:40:50that conforms to exactly what Rolex have told you there. Right.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53On the back you have got the War Department arrow,
0:40:53 > 0:40:57and then you've got a number /77, which is 1977.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00And one or two of the other things to point out are the hands.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03They're not the normal, what we call Mercedes hands,
0:41:03 > 0:41:06these are the sword hands, again,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08much more standard for the tritium watches,
0:41:08 > 0:41:12and by far the most important thing that makes it stand out
0:41:12 > 0:41:13is the bezel.
0:41:13 > 0:41:18On your bezel, it has the minute marks going the whole way round -
0:41:18 > 0:41:23the standard Submariner just has it from 0 to 15.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Right. It's lovely! Smashing.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28The only thing I can fault on it, of course,
0:41:28 > 0:41:32is that this leather strap is much later. Yes.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34It would have had a NATO strap,
0:41:34 > 0:41:38which is a sort of webbed, canvassy type thing -
0:41:38 > 0:41:41a much, much thicker, much more durable strap,
0:41:41 > 0:41:46and it would never have had a steel, oyster type bracelet.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48Right. So, forget that strap -
0:41:48 > 0:41:52the main thing is that the head of the watch is 100% right.
0:41:52 > 0:41:53Smashing. Thank you.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57Will your husband be pleased? I think so, yes!
0:41:57 > 0:42:00I hope so! OK.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02So, would it surprise you to know
0:42:02 > 0:42:05that actually they're really pretty scarce?
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Oh, right, how many were made?
0:42:07 > 0:42:10Well, we think probably around 1,200,
0:42:10 > 0:42:15but a lot would have got really very badly damaged
0:42:15 > 0:42:18and we're now probably talking existing ones left
0:42:18 > 0:42:19in the low hundreds.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Right.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26These things have been making really exceptional prices at auction.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29In this condition, being 100% right,
0:42:29 > 0:42:31I'm going to quote you
0:42:31 > 0:42:33around ?40,000. ALL GASP
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Oh, my goodness me!
0:42:35 > 0:42:37SHE LAUGHS
0:42:37 > 0:42:40That's fantastic!
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Well, everybody seemed quite surprised about that!
0:42:42 > 0:42:44Not half! It's only a watch!
0:42:44 > 0:42:49This is a seriously scarce object, and highly collectible.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51So, tell me,
0:42:51 > 0:42:54where does it all start with this little group of objects?
0:42:54 > 0:42:58Well, it starts, actually, when I was born, 92 years ago, in Paris,
0:42:58 > 0:43:04and this was always one item that I loved, and that got me interested
0:43:04 > 0:43:09in African and other Oriental artefacts.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12So, this was in Paris in the '20s? Yes, yes, it was.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Yes. Gosh.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17A very important time. Yes.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20It's been with me ever since. Do you sleep with it?
0:43:20 > 0:43:25Well, somebody did! Exactly, cos it's a pillow, or neck rest.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29Yes, it is. Yes. Not very comfy, I wouldn't have thought. Not at all.
0:43:29 > 0:43:30No. I've tried it.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32But it's a rather curious mix of things -
0:43:32 > 0:43:36the figures at the front don't seem to sort of match up.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39No, no, they don't, because I have a friend
0:43:39 > 0:43:44who was in the French Army doing his military service.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48He knew I liked carvings and sculpture, et cetera,
0:43:48 > 0:43:54and he brought me back a quantity of art from Africa after his service.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59These are only a couple of them, but that's how I acquired those.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04And then, lastly, this also comes from Africa, we think.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06I mean, obviously, we'll come onto where
0:44:06 > 0:44:08it really comes from, but... Yes, yes, quite.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10Yes, that was acquired...
0:44:12 > 0:44:16..that I...someone that I knew, a friend of mine,
0:44:16 > 0:44:22and he came from Bulawayo, and I met him when I was living in Belfast,
0:44:22 > 0:44:27and this was something that he thought I should have. Yes.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31And if you could take one home, which one would you take?
0:44:31 > 0:44:35I'd take the lot! Well, you can only take one, how about that?
0:44:35 > 0:44:37Oh, dear.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39Well, I'd probably take this. Excellent,
0:44:39 > 0:44:42because I'd take this. LAUGHTER
0:44:42 > 0:44:45I thought you would. HE CHUCKLES
0:44:45 > 0:44:47Well, I'm going to come on to why.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51These African figures are average quality, to be perfectly honest.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55Yes, quite. Yes. However, this, of course,
0:44:55 > 0:44:58although your man from Bulawayo may have given it to you,
0:44:58 > 0:45:01as I think you know, is not from Bulawayo.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03Yes, that's right. Um, it's Tongan.
0:45:03 > 0:45:09Mm-hm. And it's... Ah, Tongan! ..it's called an apa'apai,
0:45:09 > 0:45:14and it's a club, usually made of a wood called ironwood,
0:45:14 > 0:45:17or casuarina... Yes.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21..and it's really a very dense, hard wood, which gives this the ability
0:45:21 > 0:45:27to be carved with this fantastic array of geometric designs. Mm.
0:45:27 > 0:45:32The shaft here is just unbelievably intricately carved. Yes, I know.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34And they're all different.
0:45:34 > 0:45:39These appear relatively frequently on the market... Mm-hm.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41..always slightly different... Yes.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44..but the most interesting thing is,
0:45:44 > 0:45:47I just wonder when your Bulawayo man acquired it,
0:45:47 > 0:45:50because I think that this is probably a 19th century piece,
0:45:50 > 0:45:53not a 20th century piece. Mm.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57So, he may have given it to you in the 20th century... Yes, exactly.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00..but it was already an old, considerably old, piece then.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Yes, I would think so. Yeah.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06So, I've rather dismissed those. Yes, of course.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09You're taking that home. Yes. So, that's OK.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11So, I'm going to get a very nice prize.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15And how much do you think it's worth?
0:46:15 > 0:46:18Well, it's worth a few hundred, I suppose.
0:46:18 > 0:46:19A few hundred.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21Even better. I'm going to do very well. Oh!
0:46:21 > 0:46:24Because... I'm coming home with you, then.
0:46:24 > 0:46:29Because I think it's worth somewhere between ?7,000 and ?10,000.
0:46:29 > 0:46:317,000 and 10,000! Not bad.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35That's not bad, is it? Wow.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41That's amazing.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43No wonder you gave me this to take home!
0:46:46 > 0:46:49This looks like something a maharani would wear.
0:46:49 > 0:46:54Now, you're obviously an Art Deco lady, so what drew you to this?
0:46:54 > 0:46:57It was on a piece of furniture at an antique fair.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59It was obviously a furniture dealer,
0:46:59 > 0:47:03and it was in its box, all shiny and winking at me,
0:47:03 > 0:47:05so he didn't ask for very much money, about ?50,
0:47:05 > 0:47:07so I thought, "Oh, that looks lovely,"
0:47:07 > 0:47:09and I fiddled about with it
0:47:09 > 0:47:11and thought, "Yes, I'll have that, please."
0:47:11 > 0:47:15So, obviously the bracelet is metal with these glass stones,
0:47:15 > 0:47:18that you can just push out one of them
0:47:18 > 0:47:20and replace it with one of the others... Mm-hm.
0:47:20 > 0:47:21..and, I mean, it's very adaptable -
0:47:21 > 0:47:24this is the wonderful thing about something like this. I know.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26You can have it all red stones... Absolutely.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29Shall we say rubies? Which, if course, they're not. Yeah.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32You can have blue stones, and they just pop in and out.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34Yep, no problem.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37You see, the ingenuity of something like this, from the 1920s,
0:47:37 > 0:47:41made in Czechoslovakia, with these wonderful, faceted stones,
0:47:41 > 0:47:45really beautiful design, and so good to wear.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48Absolutely and not too precious,
0:47:48 > 0:47:51so you could wear it, and enjoy wearing it.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54So what attracted you to the Art Deco period in particular?
0:47:54 > 0:47:57Oh, gosh, absolutely wonderful.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59Everything about it - the furniture, the jewellery,
0:47:59 > 0:48:00especially the jewellery -
0:48:00 > 0:48:04no, but very, very artistic. I love it.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07Rather than Art Nouveau, I definitely go for the Art Deco.
0:48:07 > 0:48:08And do you wear this a lot?
0:48:08 > 0:48:10I don't, actually.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14Not so much. I prefer the little bangles that I have,
0:48:14 > 0:48:17the '20s bangles, which aren't so precious.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20I'm always scared of losing the little baguette stones in that,
0:48:20 > 0:48:22not the big stones that interchange,
0:48:22 > 0:48:27but I think if I lost a little green baguette, that might be a bit hard.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30I'm not a very delicate person, unfortunately.
0:48:30 > 0:48:31SHE CHUCKLES
0:48:31 > 0:48:34I think I might lose the stones in it, but I love it,
0:48:34 > 0:48:37I do have it in a cabinet at home with other bits of jewellery.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41So, you paid about ?50 for it. Yeah, ?50, yeah.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43Which was actually quite a lot, in some ways... Yes, yeah.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46..for something that we know is just metal and glass. Yeah.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48I thought it had a bit of quality about it.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50I thought... Yeah. It definitely does. Mm-hm.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52I mean, it's beautifully designed.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54This was designed for one of the big couture houses,
0:48:54 > 0:48:55I wouldn't be surprised,
0:48:55 > 0:49:01and I could certainly see it selling for between ?400 and ?500.
0:49:01 > 0:49:02Oh, really?!
0:49:02 > 0:49:06Oh, that's a little bit more than I just told my friends earlier.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08THEY LAUGH
0:49:08 > 0:49:11INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYS: I Wanna Be Loved By You
0:49:30 > 0:49:33I've seen plenty of advertising posters in my time,
0:49:33 > 0:49:36but they're normally on paper. Yes.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39These are on sacking - hessian.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43These posters are for Osram, the German light bulb company.
0:49:43 > 0:49:48"Save fuel at home - but when you MUST use light, use Osram."
0:49:48 > 0:49:51I think it's very clear that there's a sort of strong wartime feel here,
0:49:51 > 0:49:54which is kind of appropriate for where we are today.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56Did you buy these?
0:49:56 > 0:49:59No, I've had them about 38 years, and my husband dragged them
0:49:59 > 0:50:01out of a skip. He dragged them out of a skip?
0:50:01 > 0:50:03Yeah, so I told him to drag them back again,
0:50:03 > 0:50:04but he didn't, he brought them home,
0:50:04 > 0:50:07so they've been under our bed for about 38 years.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09So, you won't have these up at home at all? No.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13Not something I'd hang on my wall!
0:50:13 > 0:50:15Osram were a company founded in Germany in 1906.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18They were very successful, and they had branches all over the place,
0:50:18 > 0:50:20all over the continent, and in Britain, of course,
0:50:20 > 0:50:22which is why these are in English.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24The company's name, which is rather unusual,
0:50:24 > 0:50:28comes from a combination of the elements osmium and wolfram,
0:50:28 > 0:50:30which were commonly used in filaments,
0:50:30 > 0:50:32and during the 1920s and '30s,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35they became quite well known for producing very avant-garde,
0:50:35 > 0:50:38modernist and sometimes quite quirky poster designs -
0:50:38 > 0:50:40very strong, very bright, very visual -
0:50:40 > 0:50:43one, for example, of a sort of light-bulb man dancing down a stage.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45Yeah, I've seen that one.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48Really, really great designs, and these are very much in that vein.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50But what attracts me to them, as well as that,
0:50:50 > 0:50:54is that there's almost a sort of propaganda element in them. Yeah.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56I mean, if you look at this chap here, he's, you know,
0:50:56 > 0:50:59strongly holding up the house and sort of holding this factory. Yeah.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03What sort of era? Wartime. Wartime. Yep, Second World War. Mm.
0:51:03 > 0:51:04And look at her. Yeah.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07I mean, she's typical of the sort of lady at the home front, as it were.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Yeah. I mean, everything about her says strength and control.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12You know, these are strong people,
0:51:12 > 0:51:14and it's that sort of propaganda element
0:51:14 > 0:51:18that I find, actually, really rather more interesting.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20I have to say, I haven't seen these designs elsewhere,
0:51:20 > 0:51:22and Osram is collected. Mm.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24It is a name that people tend to collect,
0:51:24 > 0:51:27but it's not there up in the top rank along with railway posters
0:51:27 > 0:51:30and cruise liner posters from the early 20th century,
0:51:30 > 0:51:33but, as a bit of skip diving, that little activity,
0:51:33 > 0:51:37I'm afraid your husband was right to keep them, and you'll be glad
0:51:37 > 0:51:39you didn't send them back to the skip from where they came.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42I think I could easily see them fetching, for the pair,
0:51:42 > 0:51:44?400-?600 at auction. Oh, right, yeah.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46I didn't think they'd be that much,
0:51:46 > 0:51:49but probably worth bringing home from the skip, then.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51Yeah. I would have certainly said so. Yeah.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58Blue sky, huge crowd, great jewellery.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00One's a pendant, which I have here,
0:52:00 > 0:52:04and one is this rather dark, slightly sombre-looking box.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06Tell me a bit about where they came from.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08Well, I inherited them from my grandma.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11They were originally hers, and then they got passed on to me.
0:52:11 > 0:52:15OK. Well, this square, dark-leather box
0:52:15 > 0:52:20contains a little gold flower brooch.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23The flower itself is very sensitively wrought,
0:52:23 > 0:52:27it's very delicate, it's very sweet.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30It's not demonstrative, it's not a big, loud piece,
0:52:30 > 0:52:34but it fits beautifully into the box itself,
0:52:34 > 0:52:39so we can say with confidence that this piece is right for this box.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42Now, I've looked at the mount of the flower at the back
0:52:42 > 0:52:45for a mark or a name, and do you know something?
0:52:45 > 0:52:47There isn't one.
0:52:47 > 0:52:52However, when we look inside the lid of the box,
0:52:52 > 0:52:56we see that it has the name Vever.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00Now, Vever were a French company based in Paris.
0:53:00 > 0:53:04They were started off, ooh, going way back in the 19th century,
0:53:04 > 0:53:06by Paul Vever.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10He then had a son, and then there were two further...
0:53:10 > 0:53:12Well, his grandsons, then,
0:53:12 > 0:53:15so by around about the end of the 19th century,
0:53:15 > 0:53:211900, the two grandsons really do take on the control of the shop,
0:53:21 > 0:53:24and they were very, very brilliant men,
0:53:24 > 0:53:29Paul and Henri Vever, and they started to develop a niche
0:53:29 > 0:53:33in this kind of naturalistic jewellery,
0:53:33 > 0:53:35and this is the era, this is the period,
0:53:35 > 0:53:40where jewellery was very, very much flowing, female forms,
0:53:40 > 0:53:44flowers, birds and enamel,
0:53:44 > 0:53:48and that's the material that the blue flower is made of. OK.
0:53:48 > 0:53:52The lines are diamonds mounted in gold.
0:53:52 > 0:53:53Now, the flower itself
0:53:53 > 0:53:56looks a little bit like a convolvulus flower,
0:53:56 > 0:53:58which we know as bindweed, actually,
0:53:58 > 0:54:02you know, that stuff that binds up and goes round the fences?
0:54:02 > 0:54:06Actually, this particular flower is morning glory.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08That's a better name. It's a much better name.
0:54:08 > 0:54:14And it's a delicate example of the flower made into a bit of jewellery.
0:54:14 > 0:54:15OK, now, that's that.
0:54:15 > 0:54:20When we move on to this pendant here, this is an un usual piece.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22Now, did you get some feedback at all
0:54:22 > 0:54:24as to when this might have been made?
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Anything at all to help us along a bit?
0:54:26 > 0:54:30I... I don't know, really. I know my grandma had it,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33so I'm guessing probably 40, 50 years they had it.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36That's when I think it may have been made.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38It's quite difficult, actually,
0:54:38 > 0:54:41cos it doesn't conform with any particular style or design,
0:54:41 > 0:54:43but I wonder if it might have been
0:54:43 > 0:54:46literally made in the middle part of the 20th century.
0:54:46 > 0:54:51This design - you'll see that this charming little ram
0:54:51 > 0:54:58has got this large body that's made out of a complete natural pearl -
0:54:58 > 0:54:59a baroque pearl.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03And this style of taking a pearl goes right the way back
0:55:03 > 0:55:05to the Renaissance period,
0:55:05 > 0:55:09whereby you would take a pearl in nature
0:55:09 > 0:55:10and the goldsmith would look at it
0:55:10 > 0:55:13and think, "What can I create round the pearl
0:55:13 > 0:55:16"that makes it into a recognisable shape?"
0:55:16 > 0:55:21So, this particular goldsmith has taken this huge pearl,
0:55:21 > 0:55:25he's mounted it in 18 carat yellow gold,
0:55:25 > 0:55:30and then he's further supplemented it buy finding another pearl,
0:55:30 > 0:55:36a real pearl, and turned it into the face of the little ram.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38And then he's augmented it
0:55:38 > 0:55:41by putting some little sapphires into the eyes.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44OK, now, would you like me to give you an idea
0:55:44 > 0:55:46of what I think they might be worth?
0:55:46 > 0:55:48Yes, please. Good, OK.
0:55:48 > 0:55:53The Vever brooch, I think that would probably be worth
0:55:53 > 0:55:54something like ?5,000. ALL GASP
0:55:54 > 0:55:56Ooh! Wow.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59That's a lot of money! Well, could easily make six or seven.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Wow. Now this one here.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04Difficult. Tricky.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06The pearl is huge!
0:56:06 > 0:56:09It's not signed, it's not numbered, we don't know who made it,
0:56:09 > 0:56:13but you would agree, it's a very, very attractive piece.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16?6,000. Wow!
0:56:17 > 0:56:19Wow. In other words, what am I saying here?
0:56:19 > 0:56:22Well, 11,000 or 12,000 for the two.
0:56:22 > 0:56:23Phew!
0:56:23 > 0:56:25That's a lot of money!
0:56:25 > 0:56:28I think they represent some absolutely beautiful,
0:56:28 > 0:56:32dynamic jewellery that would be of great appeal should
0:56:32 > 0:56:36they ever be sold, not that you will ever sell them I'm sure. No!
0:56:36 > 0:56:39But, at the same time, they really do hit the spot
0:56:39 > 0:56:43when it comes to what is commercially viable.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45So, well done, you. Thank you.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47Thank you.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56It's the end of our day here at RAF Coningsby,
0:56:56 > 0:56:59and with me is a little chap who wanted to join me in saying goodbye.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01Brace yourselves.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04It's not the prettiest face you'll ever have seen.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06How do you think it's gone so far?
0:57:06 > 0:57:08"Who, me?" Yes, you.
0:57:08 > 0:57:09"Marvellously."
0:57:09 > 0:57:12OK, I know I'm not going to make a ventriloquist,
0:57:12 > 0:57:14but from this ventriloquist's dummy
0:57:14 > 0:57:16in the form of a Toby jug from the 1940s,
0:57:16 > 0:57:18and the whole team at the Antiques Roadshow,
0:57:18 > 0:57:21and, of course, the RAF here at Coningsby,
0:57:21 > 0:57:23until next time, bye-bye.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time has transformed
0:57:58 > 0:58:02our understanding of a condition that affects 1 in 100 children.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04The world is illogical,